Strand control assembly



June 17, 1969 w, R. WHITNEY 3,449,902

STRAND CONTROL ASSEMBLY Filed March 20, 1968 FIG.2

INVENTOR. WILLIAM R. WHITNEY BY W m flaw/0.7

ATTORNEYS United States Patent U.S. Cl. 57 -111 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Yarn handling apparatus in which a thread board is mounted for up and down movement relative to an actuator and a series of yarn guide assemblies are mounted on the thread board for independent pivotal movement from a normal operating position to a retracted position responsive to operation of the actuator. Each yarn guide assembly has a cam surface for engagement by the actuator to move the assembly to its retracted position while the thread board is moving. The cam surface and actuator coact in identical manner in any position of the thread board regardless of such movement of the thread board.

This invention relates to yarn handling apparatus and, more particularly, to a yarn guide assembly and an actuator for moving the assembly.

In yarn handling apparatus, for example in spinning frames, an automatically operable tender may pass to and fro along a series of spinning stations and stop at any station requiring servicing. The tender carries much apparatus for servicing the stations, and for this apparatus to be conveniently operated it has been found desirable to move a yarn guide assembly of the spinning station out of its normal operating position. However, the yarn guide assembly is supported on a thread board which moves up and down relative to the tender during servicing of the station. Such movement of the thread board may result in inconsistent movement of the yarn guide assembly depending upon the altitude of the assembly to the actuator.

The invention, in brief, is directed to yarn handling apparatus in which the yarn guide assembly is supported on a vertically movable thread board and has a cam surface engaged by an actuator on the tender for swinging the assembly out of the way to facilitate operation of other apparatus on the tender. In order to provide consistent and optimum coaction of the actuator and cam surface, the cam surface is shaped to move across the actuator in substantially identical manner regardless of the position and movement of the thread board and yarn guide assembly relative to the actuator.

It is a primary object of this invention to provide new and improved yarn handling apparatus and, more particularly, such apparatus for moving a yarn guide assembly from an operative to a retracted position.

A more specific object is provision of yarn handling apparatus including an actuator, a thread board movable relative to the actuator within a zone during operation of the apparatus, the apparatus including a yarn guide secured to a holder which in turn is pivotally mounted on the thread board with a cam surface on the holder shaped to move across the actuator in substantially identical manner in any normal range of movement of the thread board.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary, schematic side elevational view of a portion of a spinning machine and tender for the spinning machine, with parts broken away and removed for clearer illustration;

3,449,902 Patented June 17, 1969 FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken generally along the line 2-2 in FIG. 1, with parts broken away and removed for clearer illustration; and

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary, schematic top view of the apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

Referring to the drawings, a spinning machine includes a thread board 10 mounted for constant up and down reciprocating movement (as indicated by the vertical arrow 12 in FIG. 1) during normal spinning operation of the spinning machine. Any suitable mounting for the thread board 10 will suffice for the purpose of this invention and such mounting may be in keeping with that of the Roberts Arrow spinning machine manufactured by the Roberts Company, Sanford, N.C. Such a spinning machine has a series (see FIG. 3) of spinning stations each with a yarn guide assembly 14. The thread board 10 serves as a supporting member for these assemblies, each of which includes a yarn guide 16 and a guide holder 18.

Herein, each holder 18 is pivoted to the thread board 10 for independent pivotal movement about a horizontal axis by means of a clip 20 riveted to the thread board and having an eye portion receiving a pivot pin 22 fixedly anchored at its opposite ends in rearwardly directed bifurcations 24 of the holder 18.

In order to automatically service the spinning machine, a tender may be provided for traversing back and forth while scanning the series of stations and stopping to service any station requiring attention. Such a tender in conjunction with a spinning machine is shown in a Leesona Corporation patent application of Charles C. Bell and Kurt W. Niederer, U.S. Ser. No. 534,081, filed Mar. 14, 1966, now Patent No. 3,403,866.

In order to perform certain servicing operations it is desirable that the yarn guide assembly 14 be moved from its normal operating position as shown by solid lines in FIG. 1, to a retracted position generally as shown by phantom lines in FIG. 1. To this end, a yarn guide operat ing assembly 26 is provided on the tender and includes an actuator in the form of a vertical bar 28 fixed to and depending from a horizontal slide 30 received in slots 32 in spaced apart upstanding ears 34 secured to the frame 36 of the tender. A double acting air cylinder 38 is fixedly mounted on a bracket 40 secured to the frame 36 of the tender, and its piston rod 42 is suitably coupled, as by a threaded connector 44 pivoted to an ear 46 on the top of the actuator bar 28.

Responsive to operation of the cylinder 38, the actuator bar 28 moves from its normal osition, as shown by solid lines in FIG. 1, through an operating range in which it engages an abutment finger 48 providing a cam surface 50 on the holder 18 and moves the holder from its normal operating position to its retracted position. The stroke of the piston rod 42 is limited by the cylinder 38 so that the holder 18 is not moved too far, and a stop 52 on the holder engages the thread board 10 to prevent momentum of the holder from carrying it too far rearwardly. The cam surface 50 is offset from the yarn guide 16 to provide operating space for the actuator 28. In retracted position the holder 18' is held by the actuator 28 until the cylinder 38 is reversed to withdraw the actuator. The guide assembly 14 then drops by gravity back to its normal operating position. It should be noted that in the illustrated embodiment the thread board 10 travels in a vertical path as indicated by the arrow 12 and the pivotal axis (22) of the holder is horizontal and therefore normal to the path of the thread board, and the actuator 28 moves in a path which is generally normal to the thread board path and to the pivotal axis of the holder.

In normal operating position of the yarn guide assembly, the cam surface 50 of the holders abutment finger 48 is inclined upwardly in the direction of pivotal movement of the holder generally from the holders pivot pin 22 and toward the actuator 28 to present a convex cam surface to the actuator, particularly as shown in E16. 1. Regardless of the altitude of the yarn guide assembly 14 or its up and down movement, the actuator 28 always engages this cam surface in the same mannerso that at any height of the assembly the pivotal action is identical. Similarly since the assembly is moving vertically during this camming action, the cam surface is designed to ride smoothly on the flat, vertical actuator face.

The holders stop 52 and abutment finger 48 are formed as part of a bottom plate 54 of the holder. This bottom plate 54 is received in a cutout portion 56 of the holder and engages a shim 58 urged against the yarn guide 16 by a nut 60 and bolt 62 which clamps the assembly together.

While this invention has been described with reference to a particular embodiment in a particular environment, various changes may be apparent to one skilled in the art and the invention is therfore not to be limited to such embodiment or environment except as set forth in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. Yarn handling apparatus comprising an actuator, a supporting member movable relative to said actuator within a zone along a path during operation of the apparatus, means for handling a strand of yarn and including a holder, means mounting said holder on said member for pivotal movement about an axis transverse to said path between a normal position and a retracted position, and cooperating means for pivoting said holder about said axis from said normal position to said retracted position and including an abutment on said holder, said actuator being opposed to said abutment throughout movement of said member within said zone, and means mounting said actuator for movement along a path transverse to said axis and to the supporting member path from a normal position spaced from said abutment and through an operating range engaging said abutment and moving said holder from its normal position to its retracted position,

2. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 in which said abutment is inclined from said axis toward said actuator in the direction of pivotal movement of said holder from its normal position to its retracted position.

3. Apparatus as set forth in claim 2 in which said abutment is a cam surface shaped to move across said actuator in substantially identical manner in any range of movement of said supporting member through said zone, as the actuator moves in said operating range.

4. Apparatus as set forth in claim 3 in which said cam surface is a convex surface facially opposed to said actuator.

5. Apparatus as set forth in claim 5 in which said axis and said supporting member path are generally normal to each other, and the path of said actuator is generally normal to said axis and said supporting member path.

6. Apparatus as set forth in claim 5 in which said supporting member is a thread board and is movable in opposite directions along its path, and the handling means comprises a yarn guide mounted on said holder in a position offset from the path of the actuator.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,690,643 10/1954 Vella 57-111 XR 2,892,301 6/1959 Cone 571l1 XR 3,097,476 7/1963 Fetterman 57l11 XR 3,154,909 11/1964 Urano et a1 571 10 XR 3,344,594 10/1967 Takemura et al. 5753 3,374,616 3/1968 Hidden et al. 57-53 FOREIGN PATENTS 12,866 7/ 1919 Japan.

STANLEY N. GILREATH, Primary Examiner. WERNER H. SCHROEDER, Assistant Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. 7 

